399 Games, a Book Review for Your Brain Health

This week Julianne Moore won an Oscar for Best Actress in the movie, Still Alice. As most of you will know, her first and well deserved Oscar, was for playing the part of a successful Columbia university professor facing early onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Hopefully her award will reach much further with the increased interest in the Alzheimer’s disease. Finding a cure or even an effective treatment is urgently needed.

Until that happens, each of us should be doing all we can to prevent the disease from affecting us. There have been so many different studies on foods we eat, exercise, and what I call ‘brain training,’ that show positive effects. It’s actually profound to read just how effective some things are at preventing Alzheimer’s.

Exercising the brain, actually cross training, is one of those suggestions. Anything that makes your brain work harder, stimulates the nerves, and in some cases may even encourage growth of new brain cells.

Puzzles are a recommended exercise. That is why I got the book, 399 Games to Keep Your Brain Young. I love puzzles anyway, from crosswords, to jigsaw to logic problems. Sudoku has kept me entertained while waiting for a flight, Words with Friends not only entertains but helps me stay connected to friends across the country. It’s a delight to know at the same time they may be keeping my brain healthier.

Targeted puzzles for different functions

In this particular book the games are actually targeted toward various brain functions, exercising more than one area for better stimulation. They’ve broken it into six areas, including long term memory, multi-tasking, and processing. The puzzles are great fun, but in addition to the fun you will have doing the assigned task, each page will tell you which brain function it is working on. One might be for short term memory, another might concern attention to detail, many of them might be for both.

Even if you aren’t crazy about puzzles, the ones in 399 Games will be easy enough to work since none take that much time to complete. If they help your brain, it would surely be worth the effort. You might even find your brain feels refreshed after spending some time with them, much as your body feels energized after taking a walk or working out.

I would so encourage you to do anything and everything you can to strengthen your brain and to keep it as healthy as possible. Every step you take may lessen the chance that you will be affected by Alzheimer’s disease. That is reason enough.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Merry Citarella, often writing as Merrci, writes on a wide range of topics. Recently relocated to the Oregon Coast in the northwest United States, she frequently writes travel features on the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She specializes in health and aging, Alzheimer’s Disease, food, lifestyle, and book reviews. For more information you can see her on The Writers’Door. You can read more articles here or at her websites Alzheimers HQ and Simple Living Ideas